Well, I'm a developer who is interested in stuff more serious than iFart. I recently got an Android phone because I was turned off by all the negative stories I read about developing for iPhone. I can't be the only one in this boat.
If the App Store wasn't a massive success, no one would bother to develop for it, and no one would complain. The negative stories are an indicator of Apple's success. For developers, the Store is a negative, but for the users it is a clear positive; it delivers advanced and slick applications at relatively cheap prices. The users don't hear/care about the developer problems.
